A mother plant

So buying seeds is starting to become expensive, I need a mother plant so that I can take clones. I have 1 small tent 140x60x60 but would having the Mother plant on a 18-6 cycle just make it grow continuously? so it would eventually outgrow the tent?

you need to keep a mother plant in veg, 18/6 or whatever, but you can keep them in a very small 3" - 6" pot, give them veg nutes only when absolutely needed, or when you need clones soon, and you can trim the plants, if clones are not needed then just cut some clones and give them away or compost them. Do a search for "Bonsai Mother".

Here's a shot of my mothers.



They actually look a little beat up because they had gotten bushy and I did a wack job on them. I've had the one on the left for over two years in the same pot. Cab is a cheap one from Home Depot, 24"x36"x15". Light is also from Home Depot, a 2x14w T5 unit. Barely fits. A little air circulation from a PC fan.

This works perfect for me. I've watered them heavy, gone away for a week and came back to find them fine. Light (18/6) is enough to keep them healthy without them growing super fast. One bulb is 3000k, other is 6500k. I'm also using Air Pots which I think has helped a lot. They don't get root-bound.

Don't be afraid to cut your mother plant; you don't have to use every single cutting. You can trim her to be a bonsai plant too if she starts getting too big.

potpimp said:

Don't be afraid to cut your mother plant; you don't have to use every single cutting. You can trim her to be a bonsai plant too if she starts getting too big.

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+1 You can see how much I cut off mine

TechnoMage said:

+1 You can see how much I cut off mine

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TechnoMage isn't afraid to use his mother plant for what it is. That's keeping her size under control.

There are also techniques to stunt mother plants growth. Lemme know if you need a few tips.